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Bowing to Love: The Noble and the Gladiator
From popular Boys' Love author Saki Aida comes a romance novel between a beautiful aristocrat and the gladiator he falls for!Lucianus is a noble who believes that love is nothing more than a waste of time and energy. That is, until the day he's saved by the handsome and powerful gladiator, Dominatus. Suddenly, wasting time doesn't seem like such a bad idea--with the right company. Unable to confess the overwhelming feelings he has for his savior, Lucianus pays for a night of pleasure with Dominatus, triggering a series of sexy trysts between them. Lucianus craves the other man yet fears that, if their relationship is discovered, the vast gulf between their social standings could cause trouble.
But when Dominatus is pitted against a gladiator favored by the emperor, he leaps into battle without hesitation, knowing the fight could cost him his life. Will Dominatus emerge victorious, or will love be lost to the sands of the arena before Lucianus can bare his heart?
But when Dominatus is pitted against a gladiator favored by the emperor, he leaps into battle without hesitation, knowing the fight could cost him his life. Will Dominatus emerge victorious, or will love be lost to the sands of the arena before Lucianus can bare his heart?
242 pages, Paperback
Published November 25, 2025
13 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Saki Aida
25 books56 followersSaki Aida（英田 サキ）is Boys Love (BL) author of Japan.
Birthday: January 3, Zodiac signs: Capricorn, Blood type: AB. Born in Osaka, Japan.
Saki Aida was one of the disciples of Azusa Nakajima (Another pen name of Kaoru Kurimoto ) Kaoru Kurimoto is very famous author of "The Guin Saga series", and at the same time she is known as a Boys Love author in Japan. In addition, she contributed as a founder of the genre of the Boys Love novel.
There is a possibility that pirated editions are included in this page. Because, there are pirated editions and illegal download sites of Japanese books in overseas. This has very serious problem in Japan. If you like this author, stop reading by illegal means for the author's copyright.
Birthday: January 3, Zodiac signs: Capricorn, Blood type: AB. Born in Osaka, Japan.
Saki Aida was one of the disciples of Azusa Nakajima (Another pen name of Kaoru Kurimoto ) Kaoru Kurimoto is very famous author of "The Guin Saga series", and at the same time she is known as a Boys Love author in Japan. In addition, she contributed as a founder of the genre of the Boys Love novel.
There is a possibility that pirated editions are included in this page. Because, there are pirated editions and illegal download sites of Japanese books in overseas. This has very serious problem in Japan. If you like this author, stop reading by illegal means for the author's copyright.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
October 10, 2025
The plot here is so thin that you could use it as saran wrap.
January 4, 2026
Quite bad in just about every way a book can be bad..... flat characters, rapid and convenient sequences of events, a romance that was always predictable, and certainly most noticeably some really dreadful prose. I don't know how exactly the blame should be distributed but surely both author and translator bear some responsibility here. Some choice quotes I copied down:
And certainly my favourite:
I mean obviously my first thought as I read went something like Wow, what an incredibly tasteless set of words, and then right at the end I was taken out at the knees by "explicable sense of repulsion and rage". Someone has heard the word "inexplicable" and went well how do I convey the opposite of that..... and landed on Explicable. I do fear that I am going to be talking about my explicable senses from here on out guys #myexplicablesenses
Anyway all that said I could not give this the one star it deserves because I was, regrettably, kind of compelled by the adventures of ""Lucianus"" and ""Dominatus"", not through any merit of their own of course but who look like that and who are prancing around fake Rome having loads of gratifying if dubiously written sex. Well we all have our weak spots don't we
The gladiator used his brawny body to gracefully and splendidly swing his sword around.
The release was euphoric as Lucianus’s body quivered with delight. Dominatus gazed down at the scene and let out a groan as he exploded within the noble. Lucianus felt warm fluids of affection spray inside of his body.
His gaze was kind as a fierce twinkle glimmered within. Lucianus felt like he was having sex with a prideful beast, filled with love.
And certainly my favourite:
Lucianus was aware that there was a recent uptick in the trend of secretly using children as sex toys, but he couldn’t understand this nasty hobby. The mere thought of toying with innocent children to fulfill the ugly desires of adults gave Lucianus an explicable sense of repulsion and rage.
I mean obviously my first thought as I read went something like Wow, what an incredibly tasteless set of words, and then right at the end I was taken out at the knees by "explicable sense of repulsion and rage". Someone has heard the word "inexplicable" and went well how do I convey the opposite of that..... and landed on Explicable. I do fear that I am going to be talking about my explicable senses from here on out guys #myexplicablesenses
Anyway all that said I could not give this the one star it deserves because I was, regrettably, kind of compelled by the adventures of ""Lucianus"" and ""Dominatus"", not through any merit of their own of course but who look like that and who are prancing around fake Rome having loads of gratifying if dubiously written sex. Well we all have our weak spots don't we
November 1, 2025
I preordered the Captive Prince-alike BL light novel because I was super intrigued LOL. It was very entertaining and I finished it in two days. However, the book is 70% smut and I honestly wished it was longer so that all the relationship development and plot points could be better fleshed out. There were so many interesting events that were totally glossed over or recounted in a single page... I would've loved to read them as actual full length chapters.
And when I say this is a Captive Prince-alike I am not joking. I love that CS Pacat was inspired by BL and now her books have inspired a BL lol. I won't go in depth on their similarities to avoid spoilers, but this novel is like a popcorn reimagining of capri except with 200% more smut, an explicitly Roman setting, no dark subject matter, and the characters only vaguely hate each other through misunderstandings before immediately falling into bed. It is honestly nothing to write home about except for how steamy it is, and I legitimately only picked it up because I love the capri vibes. That said, Saki Aida is a very well-known BL novelist so I want to check out her other works. Maybe her longer-running series are better!
And when I say this is a Captive Prince-alike I am not joking. I love that CS Pacat was inspired by BL and now her books have inspired a BL lol. I won't go in depth on their similarities to avoid spoilers, but this novel is like a popcorn reimagining of capri except with 200% more smut, an explicitly Roman setting, no dark subject matter, and the characters only vaguely hate each other through misunderstandings before immediately falling into bed. It is honestly nothing to write home about except for how steamy it is, and I legitimately only picked it up because I love the capri vibes. That said, Saki Aida is a very well-known BL novelist so I want to check out her other works. Maybe her longer-running series are better!
November 29, 2025
The story was nice and simple. Enjoyable dynamic between a bratty noble and a calm but slightly overwhelmed gladiator.
Everything happens rather fast, which didn't have to be. You don't need to dismantle the whole empire within 233 pages.
The illustrations are wonderful with great character designs for the main characters.
But-
I find myself mourning the times when mangaka and authors put real research into their historical settings. Think of Black Butler or even many old-school Shōnen Ai works, where creators genuinely tried to understand the period they were writing about.
So when I picked up this novel, I’ll admit I was hoping for that same attention to historical detail. Instead, I was immediately deflated when the story introduced a fake empire with fake neighboring states, sidestepping any real engagement with the era it was supposedly inspired by. I don’t mind fictional worlds, but sometimes I really do miss the care and curiosity that once shaped historical fiction and manga alike.
Everything happens rather fast, which didn't have to be. You don't need to dismantle the whole empire within 233 pages.
The illustrations are wonderful with great character designs for the main characters.
But-
I find myself mourning the times when mangaka and authors put real research into their historical settings. Think of Black Butler or even many old-school Shōnen Ai works, where creators genuinely tried to understand the period they were writing about.
So when I picked up this novel, I’ll admit I was hoping for that same attention to historical detail. Instead, I was immediately deflated when the story introduced a fake empire with fake neighboring states, sidestepping any real engagement with the era it was supposedly inspired by. I don’t mind fictional worlds, but sometimes I really do miss the care and curiosity that once shaped historical fiction and manga alike.
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February 2, 2026I was seriously considering dropping this one because it's too "brainless" for me but I still tried to finish it since it's short. Not sure how I'll rate it though. The first half bored me to death but the second half is a bit better. I was interested with Lucianus's "childish worries" that I wanted Dominatus to be obliterated for how coldly he was acting, haha! The misunderstanding was fun. I think it only took me nearly an hour and half to finish this one. Not really a waste of time but yeah.
January 4, 2026
Disappointing as I think the plot itself is a fun idea and the action well paced. However, the MC is completely insufferable and his reactions to the world and to people do not seem to be based on any type of logic. The romance itself was good for the first 40 pages then it just fell out the window. Like how can you go from ‘well he’s quite fit’ to ‘I’m deeply in love with this man’ in the space of a scene. The dialogue as well is very stilted and does not reflect any semblance of a normal conversation even if said conversation is spoken using very formal English.
February 12, 2026
The only good thing about this mess is the cover.
December 5, 2025
I wasn't exactly expecting literature, but the plot was still disappointingly thin. Mainly from Lucianus, who hardly did anything the entire book other than weep and lust after Dominatus.
Dominatus had an interesting backstory - more work was definitely put into fleshing him out. He's been a gladiator for some time, and a free man for several years, choosing to remain in the arena rather than retiring. This leaves him free to wander around the city and rescue handsome nobles like Lucianus from ruffians. (Which happens enough times that it starts to get sort of tiring. I'm not big on damsels in distress tropes.)
He's attracted to Lucianus at first sight, for two main reasons: Lucianus is startlingly beautiful, and also a noble in more than just name. Unbeknownst to Lucianus, Dominatus had seen him buying a young boy from a slaver to rescue him from a brothel, and had been impressed enough by his actions to follow him and rescue him from the brothel owner's thugs.
This is...kind of the only proactive thing Lucianus does in the entire novel. And we literally never see this boy again, even though he was supposed to become a slave in Lucianus's household. "I don't like slavery," Lucianus thinks to himself, but has no plans to use his birthright to become a senator and attempt to change anything. He just reads books all day (fair) and lives off his father's wealth and treats his household's slaves reasonably well.
And then he meets Dominatus, gets a bit obsessed with him, and decides after about two days and a single conversation that he's in love with him.
Misunderstandings are as thick as mud here, with Lucianus breaking his heart because he feels he can only buy Dominatus's body without ever receiving his love. Then even when they flee the city together, swearing devotion to each other, they easily fall into mutual despair as they assume the other person is no longer interested in them.
Which is a bit fair, because they still hardly know each other. And Lucianus is absolutely in no way fit to be going into exile with his burly gladiator boyfriend.
Dominatus had a lot of concrete motivations: as the former prince of a fallen nation, he remained a gladiator so he could eventually face the emperor's favorite, a soldier-turned-gladiator who had killed his entire family. This led to him being labeled as a traitor, and he followed the expected route of seeking refuge with Lucianus's uncle, a famed general who marched back to the capitol and overthrew the corrupt emperor and his bought-off senate.
All interesting stuff...but these significant plot threads were drowning in mediocre smut and Lucianus's dead weight. For both the pivotal gladiator battle and the rebellion, Lucianus just stays at home and lies in bed or reads books until he finds out Dominatus succeeded. I get why; he wouldn't have been especially effective on the battlefield. But even if you're not skilled with a sword, you can still be a strategist or a politician.
Then when the emperor is overthrown and Lucianus's uncle is setting up a new senate and a democracy, what do Lucianus and Dominatus do? Dominatus turns down an offer to become a centurion in order to........be Lucianus's house husband, I guess? There's literally no discussion beyond that of what he would do with his life, although he'd certainly be wildly bored if all he did was tend to a pampered noble. And dos Lucianus step up to become a part of the new democracy, putting forth ideas about abolishing slavery or anything else he's read in his multitude of books? Nope! We just close out on them swearing again that they love each other.
This could've been a really interested story if it'd simply leaned more into the plot that was there, mostly ignored but intriguing enough to be fleshed out. And if the relationship development had been grounded in much more than physical attraction. I can't fault Lucianus's uncle for assuming their attraction would burn out before too long.
Dominatus had an interesting backstory - more work was definitely put into fleshing him out. He's been a gladiator for some time, and a free man for several years, choosing to remain in the arena rather than retiring. This leaves him free to wander around the city and rescue handsome nobles like Lucianus from ruffians. (Which happens enough times that it starts to get sort of tiring. I'm not big on damsels in distress tropes.)
He's attracted to Lucianus at first sight, for two main reasons: Lucianus is startlingly beautiful, and also a noble in more than just name. Unbeknownst to Lucianus, Dominatus had seen him buying a young boy from a slaver to rescue him from a brothel, and had been impressed enough by his actions to follow him and rescue him from the brothel owner's thugs.
This is...kind of the only proactive thing Lucianus does in the entire novel. And we literally never see this boy again, even though he was supposed to become a slave in Lucianus's household. "I don't like slavery," Lucianus thinks to himself, but has no plans to use his birthright to become a senator and attempt to change anything. He just reads books all day (fair) and lives off his father's wealth and treats his household's slaves reasonably well.
And then he meets Dominatus, gets a bit obsessed with him, and decides after about two days and a single conversation that he's in love with him.
Misunderstandings are as thick as mud here, with Lucianus breaking his heart because he feels he can only buy Dominatus's body without ever receiving his love. Then even when they flee the city together, swearing devotion to each other, they easily fall into mutual despair as they assume the other person is no longer interested in them.
Which is a bit fair, because they still hardly know each other. And Lucianus is absolutely in no way fit to be going into exile with his burly gladiator boyfriend.
Dominatus had a lot of concrete motivations: as the former prince of a fallen nation, he remained a gladiator so he could eventually face the emperor's favorite, a soldier-turned-gladiator who had killed his entire family. This led to him being labeled as a traitor, and he followed the expected route of seeking refuge with Lucianus's uncle, a famed general who marched back to the capitol and overthrew the corrupt emperor and his bought-off senate.
All interesting stuff...but these significant plot threads were drowning in mediocre smut and Lucianus's dead weight. For both the pivotal gladiator battle and the rebellion, Lucianus just stays at home and lies in bed or reads books until he finds out Dominatus succeeded. I get why; he wouldn't have been especially effective on the battlefield. But even if you're not skilled with a sword, you can still be a strategist or a politician.
Then when the emperor is overthrown and Lucianus's uncle is setting up a new senate and a democracy, what do Lucianus and Dominatus do? Dominatus turns down an offer to become a centurion in order to........be Lucianus's house husband, I guess? There's literally no discussion beyond that of what he would do with his life, although he'd certainly be wildly bored if all he did was tend to a pampered noble. And dos Lucianus step up to become a part of the new democracy, putting forth ideas about abolishing slavery or anything else he's read in his multitude of books? Nope! We just close out on them swearing again that they love each other.
This could've been a really interested story if it'd simply leaned more into the plot that was there, mostly ignored but intriguing enough to be fleshed out. And if the relationship development had been grounded in much more than physical attraction. I can't fault Lucianus's uncle for assuming their attraction would burn out before too long.
January 10, 2026
I feel bamboozled. I feel cheated. I am insulted even. That's how bad it was. First off, the writing feels amateurish. Was it edited? It all felt rushed and flat. The development of the characters and plot was so unsatisfying. The dynamic felt like those hetero regency novels I read when I was a teenager. I was utterly disappointed that the mc was so woefully naive and inexperienced. They read like a sheltered teenager. The ML was giving emotionally stunted, too 🥴 I kept waiting for it to get better. The ending was so boring, too!!! Why??? There was potential with the premise... but nope. A big old flop. 🥲😔
cw drugging the mc, mentions of sexual abuse of child, slavery, violence, death, attempted sa
cw drugging the mc, mentions of sexual abuse of child, slavery, violence, death, attempted sa
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 8, 2025
It was an interesting discovery.
I didn't know what to expect of this book and honestly? I enjoyed my reading. In the first part there's a lot of smut (which is normal since they're in a transactional relationship, those morons that cannot communicate) and the second part is really fast paced.
Overall it was a good reading for me, the phrasing was sometimes awkward (like comparing your partner opening your legs to feeling like a baby whose diaper was changed) but I finished this book with a smile on my face, so I'll keep it!
I didn't know what to expect of this book and honestly? I enjoyed my reading. In the first part there's a lot of smut (which is normal since they're in a transactional relationship, those morons that cannot communicate) and the second part is really fast paced.
Overall it was a good reading for me, the phrasing was sometimes awkward (like comparing your partner opening your legs to feeling like a baby whose diaper was changed) but I finished this book with a smile on my face, so I'll keep it!
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January 25, 2026I'll be honest, I started this because of cover and Captive Prince similarity but I was duped LOL. It doesn't have a plot, characters are flat and one dimensional and frankly, very annoying. I had to force myself to finish it (because I can't leave a book unread).
February 20, 2026
3.75. It felt a little rushed in the romance, which was explained by them meeting several times that weren't detailed to the audience, but it still felt a little quick. The plot was decent and easy to follow. I enjoyed it overall.
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November 18, 2025Spoiler-Included Reviews:
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November 25, 2025
I feel like it was overall a bit boring for me, but when it started to get interesting it stepped back like it was scared to do interesting things with its characters :/
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December 11, 2025huh…
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews